


Window

by matrixaffiliate



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Blackinnon Week 2021, F/M, Romance, blackinnon, the dead never truly leave us
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 14:07:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30022917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/matrixaffiliate/pseuds/matrixaffiliate
Summary: What if the Marauders were able to watch Harry's adventures? And what if Marlene and Sirius were the reason they could? This story is to replace a story that I can't find anymore, and think was pulled by its writer. Blackinnon angst. General angst. But a happy ending.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, Sirius Black/Marlene McKinnon
Kudos: 17





	Window

**Author's Note:**

> There was a writer who pulled all of their stories within the last year maybe two. I've searched everywhere to no avail. I don't remember the writer's screen name, but I remember their stories. What follows is my version of one of their stories that I miss terribly. If you know this writer and where their stories may be now, I'd love to know where to find them.

Marlene hit the ground hard. She knew it was coming, she knew there was nothing she could do for it, but the result still jarred her. She pushed up from the white floor and looked around.

"Catherine! Mum! Dad!" Tears welled in her eyes as she looked desperately around for her family.

"Marlene!"

Marlene spun around just in time to catch Catherine as she flung herself at her.

"Where are Mum and Dad?"

"I don't know!" Catherine cried as she clung to Marlene. "I don't know!"

"Shh, Cathy," Marlene stroked her sister's hair. What she wouldn't give for a place to sit!

And then there was a white bench just to her left. Marlene stared at it a moment before guiding Catherine to sit with her.

"What in Merlin's name is this place?"

"Marlene, are, are we dead?" Catherine looked around them, her face just as fearful as it had been when the Death Eaters barged in.

"I'm pretty sure we are." Marlene strained to see any signs of her parents. "I wish I knew where Mum and Dad were."

"Marlene! Catherine!"

"Dad!" Catherine called out, trying to move toward the sound, but Marlene held her close.

"We're coming girls!" Their mum called back. "Stay there! We're coming!"

Marlene squinted and finally caught sight of her parents coming towards them.

"Mum!" Catherine bolted from the bench and ran into their mum's outstretched arms, Marlene hot on her sister's heels.

"Merlin, I'm so glad we found you two!" Her dad's voice was thick with emotion and Marlene let the tears fall in relief that she wasn't alone here.

"What do we do, Daddy?" Catherine clung to him like she was four-years-old instead of going on fourteen.

"Well," he hedged, but before he could say more the sound of steam erupted from the other side of the bench Marlene had wanted and they turned to see a train with one passenger coach behind it.

Cautiously, they approached the train, and Marlene began groping for her wand but came up empty-handed, as did her parents.

"I think we're supposed to get on." Her mum walked towards the open door. "I feel like this is the next step."

Feeling suddenly bemused, Marlene reached out to touch the train when she thought she heard her name. It was distant, almost too far away to hear, but as she strained to hear it a window seemed to open and she knew instantly what she was hearing.

"Sirius!"

The window cleared and through the floor, she watched horrified as Sirius pulled her lifeless body from the flaming safe house that she'd been killed in.

"Sirius!"

All she could hear was him screaming her name over and over. She collapsed to her knees looking out at the horror unfolding before her.

"Sirius!"

Sirius' screams grew louder in her ears and Marlene pounded in the window trying desperately to break through to him until her dad grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.

Marlene clung to her dad, unable to breathe or whatever blasted thing she was doing now as her sobs shook her body. She didn't want Sirius to be the one left behind! He needed her! He had everyone against him! It was supposed to be her! She had been so certain it would be her that would be left to go on without him!

"Let's get on the train, Marly," her dad tried to soothe her. "There's nothing we can do now."

"No!" Marlene pulled back and looked back at the window as James took Sirius back to Godric's Hollow with him. "I have to know he's alright." She wiped her eyes on her sleeve and nodded to the train. "Go on ahead, I'll catch the next one."

"Marlene," her dad objected, but her mum cut him off.

"Let her make sure, Angus. You'd do the same for me."

"Else, what if another train doesn't come for her? I won't leave her here to lose her."

"Another train will come when I tell it to." Marlene turned away from the gut-wrenching sight of Sirius sobbing into Lily and James. "I wanted a bench and that bench appeared. Catherine asked what was next and the train appeared. I'll be able to get a train any time I want, and I'll be able to tell it to take me exactly where this one takes you."

Her dad looked critically at the train before its black coach turned red.

"Just testing," he gave Elspeth a sheepish smile when she laughed.

"Promise you'll be quick," Catherine hugged her as tight as she probably could. "As soon as Sirius is alright, come on ahead."

"I promise," Marlene hugged her back, and let the tears fall when her parents joined in on the embrace. "I promise I'll be with you just as soon as they've got everything settled and I know he's alright "

"He's a strong lad," her dad cupped her cheek. "You'll see, he'll make it through this."

Marlene nodded and waved as her family boarded the train. "I'll be right behind you!"

They waved out the window and Marlene watched until the train blurred and disappeared into a bright white light ahead of them.

Then she turned back to her window to the living world, but as Sirius' screams faded, the window went silent. It was eerie and heart-wrenching to sit in the dead quiet and watch Sirius slowly go mad with his grief; she almost wished she hadn't made the window in the first place. That she'd never heard him scream her name.

Sirius was broken, broken in a way she had never seen before. At this point, he was at the Potter's, but even baby Harry couldn't bring him out of the fog he seemed to be in. Marlene wished someone could be there with her, to fill the silence. But at the same time she didn't, because someone joining her would mean they'd fallen too.

She took to watching Sirius slowly become self-destructive in his grief, throwing himself into every battle in a fury, like he wanted to die or to kill or anything that might alieve the pain. She was so focused on watching Sirius, Marlene nearly screamed when someone said her name behind her.

"Marlene?"

She spun around and gawked at Dorcas Meadowes.

"No."

Doe shrugged. "They got my family right after you and yours. I had to try."

Marlene jumped to her feet and pulled her friend into a hug.

"Doe, I'm so sorry!"

"Me too, I just wish I'd told someone I was going after Voldemort alone. No one will know what happened or where my body is or anything."

"They love you, Dorcas, they'll find you!" Marlene held her tighter. And for a moment, that's all they did, hold each other and cry at how life had thrown them out long before they'd been ready to leave.

"So, what do we do?" Doe looked around and wiped at her eyes.

"If you want to go on to your family, we just summon a train and you tell it you want to go on ahead to where they went." Marlene glanced back down at the window. "Or you can sit with me and watch to see if Sirius makes it through this."

"Did your family already go on ahead?" Dorcas looked at the window as Remus lifted Sirius from the ground behind their flat.

"Yeah, but I needed to make sure he's alright before I move on. I can't leave him completely alone."

Doe took her hand and squeezed it. "Then I'll keep you company. Sirius is tough, he'll find a way to push forward."

Marlene hoped she was right as they sat down on her bench next to the window and watched.

"There's no sound?" Doe moved her head closer to the window.

Marlene shook her head. "I haven't heard anything since Sirius pulled my body from the safe house."

"Well," Dorcas grinned at her, "Maybe we can pass the time by guessing what all our friends are saying."

Marlene laughed, grateful that she had Dorcas with her now. It was better to be with someone than to be alone.

"Can you control it, the window and what it sees?" Dorcas asked after they'd watched a few days pass.

"I don't know," Marlene frowned. "It appeared because I could almost hear Sirius right before we were going to board the train and as I was trying to hear him, I willed it here I suppose."

"Why not try and move it around? See what Remus is doing." Doe didn't meet Marlene's eye as she gave her suggestion.

Reluctantly, Marlene willed the window to show them Remus, and the image flitted a moment before showing them Remus in a pack of werewolves.

"That's what Dumbledore has him doing?!" Dorcas screamed and jumped up from her seat. "That's his undercover mission?!"

Marlene stared horrified as Remus ran with the pack. Suddenly it made sense, all the full moons that Remus had been Merlin knew where, the weeks on end that he'd been gone, and most of all, his refusal to talk about what he was doing.

Marlene felt sick. Sirius and she had suspected Remus of disloyalty. And all along, it was Dumbledore pushing him to do something he hated. She had trusted Dumbledore! How could he do something like this!

"Move it, please!" Doe choked out, falling back onto the bench. Marlene instantly willed the window to her godson.

Seeing baby Harry usually helped calm her down when she'd been alive. And she was grateful to Doe for helping her find that she could come back to this a respite when she couldn't take watching Sirius deprive himself of sleep, food, and personal safety.

"I never told him," Dorcas muttered through her tears.

"That you knew he was a werewolf?" Marlene wrapped her arms around Doe's shaking shoulders.

"That too, I knew he wouldn't appreciate knowing I had figured that out, but Marly…" Doe looked down at the window as Harry slept soundly in his crib. "I loved him. I loved him and I never told him."

"Oh, Doe," Marlene held on to her friend, wondering after seeing the hell Sirius was going through if maybe Dorcas had done the right thing. At least Remus would be spared the agony Sirius was experiencing.

"I wish I'd told him, like you and Sirius, or James and Lily," Doe sniffed. "Then I'd have something to hold onto. Now it's just regret."

And as selfish and as hard as it was, Marlene was grateful she did have something other than regret to hold onto. She had memories that were dearer to her than anything else in this new life she was experiencing. In a small way, she still had Sirius.

It took a few more days to figure out they didn't need to watch entire days pass. They could skip ahead. Apparently, time worked differently when you were dead.

But as they skipped through, it became obvious that something was off inside the Order. They were constantly being ambushed, and safe houses were being found, and the members were meeting in smaller groups. When Marlene had died, they were worried that the Death Eaters were making some good guesses, but now it was obvious there was something bigger going on.

"I think they have a mole," Dorcas said.

"Should we try and figure out who it is?" Marlene fretted as Sirius cornered Kingsley after an Order meeting.

"That might drive us mad Marly. We can't warn them or alert them or anything. We can only watch."

"You're probably right," Marlene sighed, but she wasn't convinced. After all, Sirius had called out and she'd heard him, maybe it could work the other way?

So she watched and paid attention. She made excuses to check in on the Order members, see how they were all doing. She didn't think Dorcas really believed her innocent excuses, but that didn't really matter to Marlene. What mattered was trying to do something to save everyone else. She couldn't move on until she knew they were alright, until she knew Sirius was alright.

Time didn't mean much now, but Marlene was pretty sure it was Halloween as she stopped the window, checking in on Peter to be sure the Death Eaters hadn't found his hiding spot.

"A faraway part of me feels like we should have popcorn or something." Dorcas laughed. "But I haven't really wanted anything like that since I got here."

Marlene bumped Doe's shoulder with her own. "Look at us, a couple of old dead girls."

"At least we don't look old," Doe laughed.

Marlene laughed and turned to the window; Peter slowly moved out of the little hiding place he'd been in since he was made the Potter's secret keeper.

"Where is Pete going?"

Dorcas frowned, "What's he thinking? He's supposed to be staying put."

Marlene willed the window to follow Peter and felt dread build in her stomach.

"What if…?"

"No," Dorcas shook her head, "He wouldn't." But her voice betrayed her concern.

The two women watched horrified as Peter went right into Voldemort's den, and straight to the monster himself.

Marlene was two steps ahead of Peter.

"We've got to warn Sirius!"

Instantly the window shimmered to Sirius at Headquarters and Marlene screamed for all her might, but Sirius didn't hear her. He spoke with Arthur as if their best friends weren't in mortal danger and Marlene could have killed him. But he didn't know, he couldn't know. No one would suspect Peter of this!

"Marlene! Move it to James and Lily!" Dorcas shook her arm. "We might be able to get them to hear us!"

Marlene threw the window to the Potter's, and panic struck as she saw their wands weren't anywhere near them.

"Lily!" Marlene screamed. "Lily!"

Doe yelled with her, but their voices fell on deaf ears.

Then Voldemort was there. Peter had betrayed them.

Marlene swung the window back to Sirius.

"What are you doing?!" Doe yelled.

"They need help!" Marlene yelled back before concentrating with all her might as she looked down at Sirius.

"Get to James, Sirius! Get to James!"

For a brief moment, Sirius seemed lost in thought, and then to Marlene's relief, he shook Arthur's hand before moving towards the door.

"I think he's going!" Doe cheered, "I think you did it!"

Marlene gripped Dorcas' hand and shifted the window back to the Potter's as Lily went running up to Harry's room and James tried to hold the stairs - wandless.

"Come on, Sirius," she whispered, but it was already too late.

James fell.

"No!" Marlene shouted, but Dorcas had jumped to her feet.

"James!" She yelled. "James, it's Dorcas! Marlene is here too! James!"

"Doe?" James called back.

"James!" Marlene called out to him. "James, hurry!"

The sound of pounding strides grew louder until James appeared and veered to the girls.

But when he made it to them there were tears streaming down his face and he collapsed next to them, sobbing uncontrollably. Marlene knew she should be comforting him, but she watched, fixated and horrified as Lily pleaded for Harry's life.

"It's all my fault!" James sobbed.

"No! James! This isn't your fault!" Dorcas tried to soothe him.

"I trusted him! I called him my friend!"

"We all did, James. We were all fooled."

Marlene recoiled from the window as Voldemort raised his wand against Lily.

"What's wrong?" Dorcas looked over at Marlene as she fell backward.

Marlene couldn't think straight. She thought for sure she had managed to get to Sirius! She thought he was going to make it in time. She thought it would be alright!

"Lily!" Marlene managed to choke out, and James jumped from his collapsed stance on the floor.

"Lily!" He cried. "Lily!"

Dorcas stood too. "Lily! Lily, we're here! Lily!"

"James!"

"Lily!" James spun around in circles. "Lily!"

And then they saw her. Lily came running right into James' arms.

"I'm sorry!" She sobbed. "I'm sorry! I couldn't stop him! I'm sorry!"

"It's my fault," James held her close, "No, it's all my fault."

Marlene's mind was still spinning, but one thought finally pushed through the muddled cacophony.

_Harry._

Marlene scrambled back to the window and cringed as Voldemort pointed his wand at Harry. But then, the strangest thing happened. It was as though the spell backfired, and the house nearly blew to pieces. Marlene panicked and focused all her will on seeing Harry through the window. And once the dust had cleared, crying in his crib, sat her godson.

"He's alive!"

"What?" Dorcas moved to the window.

"Harry?" Lily looked down at the window. "Is that my Harry?!"

"Marlene made a window to the living world when she got here." Dorcas nodded.

"What happened?" James looked down, running a hand along the image of Harry.

"Voldemort's curse backfired somehow, it blew up him and your house, but Harry's still there."

"This is all my fault," James sat on the floor next to the window, his hand stroking Harry's head like there wasn't so much distance between them. "Merlin, I've made such a mess of everything!"

"Marly," Lily reached out her fingers caressing the window where Harry's cheek was. "What's going on?"

"We're dead," Marlene sighed. "This is where you first come when you're dead. When you're ready to move on, there's a train that comes and takes you to what's next. I accidentally made a window back to the living, and I decided to stay and watch till I knew Sirius was alright."

"Sirius!" James gripped Lily's shoulder. "Lily! Everyone thinks Sirius is our secret keeper! They'll think this was him!"

Lily's eyes went wide. "No, no, they'd listen to him! They'll give him veritaserum and get the truth! They'll know it's Peter!"

James took a steadying breath but his eyes were still wild. "Right. You're right. They'll listen to Sirius. He'll make sure Harry ends up with him. Dumbledore will keep the Ministry from jumping to conclusions."

"Is that Hagrid?" Dorcas pointed back to the window as two enormous hands picked up Harry.

"I think so," Marlene watched the big man wrap a dusty blanket around her little godson. "That must mean the Order's been alerted."

Hagrid moved carefully through the house, and Marlene noticed that he'd moved the bodies of her friends from their crumpled positions to lay side by side on the floor in the broken sitting room.

And as Hagrid moved to the front garden, Marlene saw Sirius.

He stood outside the house looking absolutely dead inside. He reached for Harry as Hagrid carried the baby out.

"What's going on?" Lily's voice carried an undertone of panic. "Why isn't Sirius taking Harry? Why is he giving Hagrid his bike?"

"We'll have the window follow Hagrid first and then we'll see where Sirius went." Dorcas soothed her. "I'm sure it'll make sense."

Marlene nodded, but she honestly believed that they'd be joined by Sirius before she could get the window back to him. Because if she was in his shoes, she'd be looking to take Peter out by any means necessary, even if it killed her.

They followed Hagrid as he flew across England but when he landed Lily gasped.

"No!"

"What's wrong?" Marlene looked frantically through the window, trying to see what danger was there.

James' face was bleak. "Hagrid's brought Harry to Petunia."

"Is that bad?" Doe frowned as Dumbledore set Harry down in front of the door. "He's not even going to knock?"

"Petunia would tell him to take Harry as far away from her as possible if he did," Lily growled. "Marly, get the window to Sirius. I'm going to scream for him to get my son until all of Hell hears me."

Marlene chuckled but quickly directed the window to Sirius.

"What's he doing?" Dorcas peered closer as they watched Sirius move swiftly through a crowded street.

"He's tracking Peter," Marlene answered.

"He needs him alive," James shoved his hand in his hair. "Please, Pads, take him alive."

It all played out in a terrifying way. Sirius finally cornered Peter, but the rat blew up half the street, cut off his finger, and then transformed and ran off.

Sirius stood stunned at what had just happened. And then she heard the sound of him laughing. It was the kind of laugh that if Marlene slept anymore it would feed her nightmares. It was the laughter of someone who knew they were doomed, someone who had no hope left, and hearing it come out of the man she loved most was killing her all over again.

Marlene pulled away from the window and tried to block out the sound. Sirius' screams were less painful than this. The laughter that bordered on insanity was like a knife in her heart slowly being spun, and the pain brought stars to her eyes.

Marlene sat curled in on herself until Lily touched her arm.

"Marly, Marly, please, please, get the window to show us Harry."

It was excruciating, the broken sound in Lily's voice, Sirius' laughter ringing in her ears, and knowing that when she moved the window to Harry he'd be sitting alone on a front step. But Marlene pulled herself out of the pain long enough to direct the window to her godson. It ended the sound of Sirius' laughter, leaving her feeling both empty and relieved. Then she moved a small way off from her friends and collapsed into her grief.

It felt like eons that she sat there, and part of her was hoping, waiting for the sound of Sirius' voice to bring her out of this darkness. But as she waited, only the echoes of his insane laughter haunted her ears.

"Marly," Dorcas rested a hand on her shoulder. "Can you show us Sirius? We don't know what happened to him."

"Can none of you move the window?" Marlene looked up from her curled position, pulling her knees closer to her chest as she brushed her curls from her face.

"No, it's your window. It only does what you tell it to do. And we've tried to make our own, it won't work."

Marlene swallowed hard, trying to find any strength within herself. She was needed, and if anything could get her moving and push her to action, it was being needed. As she took Doe's outstretched hand, Marlene felt like her chest was going to collapse, but she moved to her window, shifting it to Sirius.

She immediately regretted the action; seeing Sirius in Azkaban was like nails in her lungs, and in a panic she flung the window back to Harry, collapsing next to Doe and Lily.

It took some coaxing, but slowly Marlene managed to uncrumple herself enough to engage with her friends, but she found little purpose to their existence for a good while.

Watching Harry endure neglect while Lily's indignation slowly went from screaming to just a constant stream of tears and James pulled further and further in on himself was like a slow-acting poison.

Any time she moved the window to check on Remus he was destitute and without friends or home, and it was killing Dorcas.

Marlene wondered if maybe she should summon the train and leave.

She moved the window forward quickly at that point. Trying desperately to find some happiness associated with the world they'd left behind. If they could see one good thing, maybe it would give them the strength to stay.

Then Harry went to Hogwarts. And suddenly it was a rollercoaster as they watched Harry go through his first year. Their excitement at him being sorted into Gryffindor. Their combined fury at Snape not only being a teacher but his treatment of Harry. Lily's indignant screams at the Snape slowly shifting to her muttering curses anytime he dared speak to her son. The confusion at a three-headed-dog in the castle. The celebration when he was put on the Quidditch team. The troll in the castle, and Harry's friendship solidifying with the Weasley boy and girl with bushy brown hair.

It was Christmas that brought the tears.

"I'm so glad he has it." James wiped at his eyes as they watched Harry experiment with the invisibility cloak. "I thought for sure it would be lost forever now."

"Dumbledore had it when we died," Lily reminded him. "I'm sure he knew you'd want Harry to have it." She wiped a tear from her cheek. "At least he got presents this year. He hasn't had Christmas presents since we died."

Marlene shook her head, none of this was what they'd died for. They'd wanted so much more than all this for those left behind.

Watching Harry be a kid and sneak around the castle eased her sadness a small amount, but it did little when they watched Harry and his two friends maneuver the obstacles and then Harry confront Voldemort himself.

"It didn't kill him," Dorcas whispered as Harry fell to the floor, Philosopher's stone clutched in his hand. "He's breathing; he's alive."

Lily reached out to run her fingers over the window. "Is it wrong that part of me wishes it might have? Just so I could hold him and keep him from all of this?"

Marlene shook her head. "That's what mums are supposed to want to do. They're supposed to protect their children."

The next year was an equal roller coaster. Harry had a house-elf trying to sabotage him. Vernon and Petunia put bars on his window. He was rescued by the Weasley kids in a flying car, and then took that flying car to school when the platform didn't open. All of that was emotionally trying enough to watch as Harry's godmother, but when they caught sight of a Basilisk in the castle and it was set loose on the children, Marlene wanted to move through the year just as quickly as they could.

"Marly, wait, try and see their names on their essays," Lily grabbed her arm. "I want to know Harry's friends' names."

It proved useful to know names, especially when Hermione was the next victim to be petrified.

"What are the adults doing?!" Marlene stormed as she sped up the window again. "Why are children fighting this war?! Why is no one doing anything to protect these kids?! What is going on?!"

"Marly! Slow down the window! Harry and Ron are going after the Basilisk!" James' gripped her shoulder.

"For Merlin's sake!" Marlene stopped speeding through time, but she couldn't bring herself to watch, not this time.

"Hey," Dorcas sat down next to her on one of the chairs they'd created away from the window, a little sitting room for the four of them. "Maybe after this all plays out you could check in on Sirius, see how he's doing."

Marlene scoffed. "See how mad the Dementors have driven him?"

"I'm sorry, I thought it might help."

Marlene sighed and took Doe's hand. "Why don't we check in on Remus first, then we can see how Sirius is, and then maybe we won't feel so bad for Harry."

Doe sighed but nodded, "That's a blunt way to go about it."

"I'm sorry," Marlene pulled her into a hug. "I'm angry at the world, not you."

Doe chuckled, "Me too."

Marlene sat with Dorcas, their arms wrapped around each other as they mourned for the living and tried to tune out James' and Lily's screams and cries as they watched Harry.

After what felt like forever, Harry managed to not die again. For not quite thirteen, Harry was already accustomed to people trying to kill him, and it made Marlene sick.

But she'd promised Doe to check in on Remus and so she pushed her disgust at the world away and moved the window ahead a bit and then to Remus.

"Is that Hogwarts?" Lily peered closer. "That looks like the Defense Professor's office."

"But that would mean," James grinned, "The old wolf's going to teach! He's replacing idiot Gilderoy!"

Marlene squeezed Doe's hand as a sad smile touched her lips.

"I bet he's happy." Doe squeezed back. "A steady job, and a place to live, I bet this is everything to him right now."

Marlene let the window follow Remus around for a while, feeling like finally there was some hope for at least some of the people they left behind.

"Marly," Lily took her hand, "Let's check in on Sirius."

Marlene felt her chest constrict. "Don't you want to see Harry?"

James put his hand on her shoulder, "We do, but you haven't moved the window to check in on Sirius since they sent him to Azkaban. You said you were staying here to make sure he was alright."

"And how could he be?!" She pulled away from the Potters. "He's in Azkaban! They deliberately drive you stark raving mad in there! You think we're going to see the man we left behind? No! We're going to see a lunatic! And I don't want that to be what I remember! It's hard enough that the last image I have of him is right after Peter ruined everything! When he'd lost everything! You don't hear anything through the window, but I've heard two things through it since I got here: him screaming my name after I died and his awful laughter when Peter ran off! That's what I get to remember him! That's the nightmare I see if I even think of closing my eyes! Those are the sounds I hear when we let it go silent! I'm dead but I'm the one who's haunted!"

"Marly," Dorcas carefully took her hand, "Marly, it's going to be alright. Why don't you move the window and I'll sit with you over here while James and Lily look in on Sirius."

Marlene didn't know how she would have made it through this without Dorcas to deescalate her. Deliberately, Marlene turned her back to the window and willed it to Sirius, then she sat down on the floor and hung her head in her hands.

"Marlene!" Lily cried.

Marlene ignored her and tried to block out her friend. She didn't want to see this. She didn't want to see what Azkaban had turned Sirius into.

"Marlene!" James grabbed her arm and started pulling her and Dorcas to the window. "Sirius is breaking out!"

"But no one can break out of Azkaban." Marlene shook her head.

"No human can," James grinned and pointed down to the window.

Marlene felt tears well in her eyes. There in the window, sneaking down to the water's edge, was Padfoot.

The image of Sirius as his dog Animagus rushed her with memories; the day he first told her and then showed her he could become a dog; the days he'd turn into a dog because they'd been fighting and she had the hardest time being angry at a big cuddly black dog; the times they'd go undercover so Padfoot could sniff out information; and the times where Sirius would be Padfoot when she got home just so he could get her to laugh after a hard day.

And now Padfoot was swimming to freedom.

"Only took the old dog twelve years to figure it out!" James laughed and kissed Lily. "He can't stay in Britain, but at least he'll be free. Make a new life for himself somewhere."

The moment of elation Marlene had felt was instantly dampened. A new life for Sirius, one that didn't include her.

She'd known, somewhere in the back of her mind, that Sirius could find love again, move on from her, but the realization that it could now be a reality for him made her chest feel like it was imploding - again.

"I wonder where he's going?" Doe mused as Padfoot made it to Scotland's bank.

Marlene watched as he ran and felt a warm glow in her chest as she realized what direction he was heading. Marlene sped up the window to make sure she was right, watching the big back dog run for a couple of days before coming to stop at the cemetery McKinnon's had been buried in for centuries. It didn't take him long to find her, and Marlene felt the tears run down her cheeks as he nuzzled the tombstone with her name carved into the rock. She ran her hand against the window, wishing for all the world she could touch him.

"I love you." She whispered.

Marlene let the window play out the night that Padfoot slept over her grave. That night was a healing balm against the torture that had wreaked havoc on her mind and soul. Her friends seemed to know she needed this, and while she heard them speaking quietly behind her in their sitting area, they didn't intrude on her as she took what little she could from this night of watching Sirius be as close to her as he could be.

When morning came, Sirius nuzzled her tombstone once more before turning South and heading off into the morning, sun barely peeking over the horizon.

Marlene smiled and turned back to her friends. "Shall we skip ahead a bit and see what trouble Harry's managed to find?"

Lily wrapped her in a hug. "Yes, please."

Trouble seemed to be a hopeful term because the group of four were faced with a scene that made them want to laugh and scream at the same time. Harry was inflating a large woman who looked a great deal like Vernon. While that was funny, watching Harry run away into the night was a right side more than concerning.

"What's he doing?" Dorcas cried. "Voldemort has already tried to kill him twice, and now he's running away on his own!"

Marlene scanned around Harry, trying to see danger before it hit her godson. Then she smiled.

"Doe, it's alright! Look, there's Padfoot!"

"That mangy dog," James laughed.

"He should be anywhere else," Lily frowned. "If they find him, they're sure to give him the Dementor's Kiss."

"He's where he wants to be," Marlene smiled down as Padfoot watched Harry, his teeth baring in the smile that she knew was the combination of man and dog.

The Knight Bus arrived moments later and Marlene took one more look at Padfoot before having the window follow Harry. She was glad she had because it was the last comforting thing she saw for a good bit. Harry had the Knight Bus take him to the Leaky, and Diagon Alley was plastered in wanted posters for Sirius. The Weasleys were especially watchful over Harry, which Marlene loved them for, but she hated that they thought they needed to be. They'd been friends, Arthur and Molly had spent time with her family, with her and Sirius, and now they were scared of him.

She was brooding about that as Harry boarded the train when Dorcas gasped.

"Why is he riding the train?"

Marlene looked closer and smiled. "I bet he wanted to see Harry."

"I mean, he is our kid," James smirked and Lily shoved him.

"How can you still have this size of an ego?" She grinned as Harry sat down and looked at Remus.

"I mean, I took on Voldemort without a wand." James grinned at her.

"Merlin, James!" Dorcas laughed.

"What, we've been dead for twelve years, can't we joke about it now?"

Marlene laughed, "Lily, go kiss him and make him be quiet."

But the laughter died on all their lips when Lily pointed to the window. "Are, are those, Dementors?"

"Why are there Dementors on the train?" James moved closer. "Damnit, Moony, wake up!"

And then the compartment door opened to where Harry and his friends were with Remus, and Marlene watched horrified as the Dementor closed in on Harry.

"Remus!" Lily screamed.

As soon as the Dementor came close to Harry, Remus was moving, his wand held high, and Marlene let out a huge breath as he pushed the Dementor out of the compartment and out of the train coach.

"This is unacceptable!" Lily stormed as Remus helped Harry up from the floor. "Why are they letting Dementors on the train?! Why are the Dementors outside of Azkaban?!"

"I bet it's Sirius," Marlene watched as the train started towards Hogwarts again. "I bet the Ministry is scared, and so they've let their fear drive their decisions, just like last time."

"I can't do this!" Lily stormed. "I can't just sit here and watch everything and everyone work against my son! I can't do this!" Lily stomped away from the window, her hands clenched in fists.

"Lils," James went after her, but Marlene couldn't help but feel the same as Lily.

"You were right," she looked over at Doe. "You said this would drive us mad, and it is."

"No," Doe shook her head, "I said figuring out who the mole was would drive us mad."

"Because we wouldn't be able to do anything about it," Marlene pressed her palm into her forehead. "And we can't do anything about any of this either. Why are we torturing ourselves, Doe?"

Dorcas looked down at the window, her eyes falling on the spot Remus had been sitting.

"Because we love them, and we don't really want to move on without them."

It was true. Marlene had told her family that she only wanted to make sure Sirius was alright, but she'd sat at this window for twelve years because she didn't want to get on that train without him, she didn't want to completely leave him behind, she didn't want to move on by herself.

It only got harder to watch, especially when Sirius got into the castle and tried to get into Gryffindor Tower. Marlene couldn't make sense of what he was doing!

"Maybe he did go mad," Marlene turned away from the window as Sirius slashed the fat lady's portrait. When she turned back he was Padfoot again and moving back to the Whomping Willow and the tunnel leading to the Shrieking Shack.

"Something's off," James shook his head. "I think we're missing something."

"This would be a lot easier if we could hear what was going on." Dorcas nodded.

Marlene moved the window away from the image of Sirius kicking the already broken furniture in the Shrieking Shack and back to Harry.

"Well, the only times I hear through the window are when Sirius is at his lowest, so I'm glad I can't hear anything right now."

Lily put a hand on Marlene's shoulder. "I'm sure he hasn't gone mad, Marly. He must have a plan. Sirius always had a plan. He always looked out for us. I'm sure that there's more to this than we can see now."

Marlene wrapped Lily in a hug, the woman who always saw the best in everyone, even when they were stark raving mad.

"Don't change, Lils."

It was a train wreck of a year, the only high points being that Harry got the Marauders map from the Weasley twins, the few moments Remus got to spend with Harry individually, and Sirius managing to send Harry a Firebolt. She smiled at the thought of Walburga Black turning in her grave over the Black fortune funding that.

But when Sirius fully attacked Ron, Marlene lost all hope that he hadn't gone insane.

"What in the name of Merlin and Morgana is he doing?!" She screeched as Sirius drug the boy by his leg, Harry and Hermione running after them.

"Padfoot!" James yelled at the window.

"I swear if he gets Harry killed I'm going to go back down there and strangle him!" Lily stormed as Harry and Hermione fought against the Whomping Willow to get down to the tunnel.

They managed it, thanks to Hermione's cat, and finally found their way to Sirius and Ron. Everything happened very quickly after that. Remus was suddenly there, talking very quickly as the three teens held their wands at him, and then Snape barged in, who Harry, Hermione, and Ron blasted.

"Nice one!" James cheered.

And then it all made sense as Ron handed over his pet rat.

"No!" Lily gasped, "It can't be!"

"It has to be," Marlene watched transfixed as Sirius and Remus revealed the rat to be Peter.

"That slimy traitor!" James growled.

"They'll kill him," Doe looked down with fire in her eyes. "Remus and Sirius won't let him live."

But to their great astonishment, they didn't kill him. They didn't kill Peter, and it looked very much like they weren't killing him at Harry's intervention.

"What is he thinking?" Dorcas shook her head.

"I think he's trying to save Sirius," Lily pursed her lips. "If they can get Peter to admit to what he's done, then Sirius walks free."

Marlene smiled down at Sirius, looking happier than he had since she died. He even looked like he had laughed.

"Then I say I've got a wonderful godson."

But that was the last of the happy moments. As the group emerged back at Hogwarts, the full moon rose and Remus transformed, Wormtail escaped, and Sirius tried to save the children by distracting Remus - with Padfoot's teeth.

Marlene finally had to turn away when the Dementors closed in on Sirius, Harry, and Hermione. She couldn't watch it, not that, not something that would potentially remove any chance of her ever seeing Sirius here, let alone her godson, and poor Hermione - children! They were children! It made her want to vomit and cry and scream until her voice gave out!

Dorcas followed Marlene away from the window and Lily hid her face in James' chest as he watched for all of them.

"He did it!" James cried. "He cast a corporeal Patronus! And it's Prongs!"

Marlene moved back to the window; Harry, Sirius, and Hermione collapsed on the ground. "It took everything out of him though."

"Wait," James looked down. "How did he get there? He was over here a ways when he cast the Patronus."

"Are you sure?" Dorcas looked down.

"I could have sworn…" James trailed off.

"At least he made it through," Lily sighed. "I was so scared we'd lost him for good."

James' confusion was soon explained as they watched Harry and Hermione go back in time and free both Hagrid's Hippogriff and Sirius.

"The only good Dumbledore's done since Voldemort attacked you three - aside from hiring Remus I suppose." Marlene smiled at the Potter's before turning back to watch Sirius fly away.

"Will you find Remus, Marly?" Doe's voice was quiet. "The sun's starting to rise, he should be coming to."

Marlene wrapped her arms around Doe's shoulders and moved the window to Remus. The window revealed him collapsed on the ground in the Forbidden Forest, the effects of his fight with Padfoot plainly evident. Dorcas turned into Marlene's shoulder and quietly cried.

Marlene sped up the window, trying to find something to ease Doe's pain, but nothing that followed brought any of them much comfort. Remus packed up his office and left, apparently, he was sacked, or knowing Remus, he resigned his post. Any time the window was on Harry when he slept, he'd wake up in a panic that had to be nightmares. Harry, Hermione, and Ron were caught up in a Death Eater attack at the World Cup, with them under the Dark Mark when it was cast.

"How could this get worse?" Lily shook her head. "Can we just get them to school?" She pleaded, and Marlene willingly moved the window ahead.

"What if I just moved it ahead till we know everything turns out alright?" She mused.

"I don't think that's a good idea." James shook his head. "I only found you because you called out to me. If you hadn't, I probably would have gotten on a train and moved ahead. If Voldemort gets to Harry, I want to see it so we can make sure we get him here."

Marlene sighed and slowed down the window. "You're probably right."

They watched Harry and his friends walk about their classes; it looked to be a few days into the start of term.

Then Dorcas gasped. "Is that Moody?" They peered down as the students took their seats.

"Merlin's beard!" James laughed. "How did Dumbledore convince him to teach?"

They watched their old mentor lecture, but Marlene frowned as the lesson moved to a demonstration.

"Did he really just use the Imperius Curse on a child?!"

"That's not Moody! Moody would never! He wouldn't!" James pushed his hands against the window as Moody's wand turned to Harry. "No!"

"James," Lily knelt next to him, "James, look! Harry's not giving in! He's not doing anything! He's throwing off the curse!"

Marlene breathed a sigh of relief that her godson was strong enough to throw that off. But they all agreed, someone was parading around in Moody's skin.

"I hate that we can't do anything," Marlene growled as the students moved on to their next classes. "Having to sit and watch it play out is torture. We know something is off but we can't do anything about it!"

"Sirius was able to reach you here," James looked down at Harry, "What if you two are linked somehow? Maybe you could reach him?"

"We tried that," Marlene shook her head. "It didn't work."

"We watched Peter turn you over to Voldemort," Doe explained, "And we screamed our heads off at the two of you to try and warn you. When that didn't work, Marlene tried to reach out to Sirius. We thought it had worked, but if it did, he got there too late."

"So it could have worked!" James latched on to the idea. "You just need to have more time!"

"It didn't work, James." Marlene moved away from the window.

"It didn't work quickly, but you don't need speed here," James followed her. "You just need to tell Sirius to get back to Scotland. If he's where Harry can call on him, then Harry will be safe!"

Marlene turned to argue, but Lily grabbed her hand and looked at her with unshed tears. "Please try, Marly. For Harry."

All her resolve crumbled because Lily had just pulled the one card that always made both her and Sirius fold: Harry.

"I'll try."

Marlene shifted the window to Sirius and his tropical hideout. He looked calm, not happy really, but not insane either. He was sitting under a tree eating a fruit she didn't know the name of but it looked sweet and he was dribbling juice all down the front of his torn and messy shirt. Buckbeak sat next to him tearing into his own fruit.

The image was too serene for her to yell at him, and honestly, she hated yelling at him. They'd moved so far past that when she'd died, they were moving towards the kind of couple that made it eighty years together. She was done yelling. So Marlene sat next to her window and whispered.

"Harry isn't safe, love. You've got to go back. Please, Sirius, get back to Harry, for James, for Lily, for me, get back to Harry."

The Potters and Dorcas looked down over her shoulder as Sirius continued to sit under his tree.

"I told you it wouldn't work." Marlene sighed.

"We don't know that yet." James shook his head. "Try it when he goes to sleep. Maybe you can work your way into his dreams."

Marlene moved the window ahead and tried again. James had her try every night, skipping past the days for her to sit and whisper through her window while Sirius slept.

"Why don't we check in on Harry?" Marlene pushed the aching in her heart down before James could press her to try again. It was torture, to talk to Sirius like he could hear her, like she could do anything to make a difference in his life now, let alone change things for their godson.

James went to protest, but Lily cut him off. "I think we should. I don't trust that he's safe with whoever is impersonating Moody."

Marlene shifted the window back to Harry, moving forward a few more days, but was very confused when the halls of Hogwarts were suddenly awash with students in uniforms that were definitely not Hogwarts uniforms.

"What in the world is going on?" Lily leant in closer.

"Those blue uniforms are Beauxbatons," Dorcas looked down. "My parents considered moving me there my last year when things got really bad."

Marlene squeezed Doe's hand. "I'm glad they didn't."

Dorcas smiled, "Me too."

"What about those other uniforms?" Lily frowned.

"I think that's Durmstrang." James supplied. "But I'm not positive."

"Why are they at Hogwarts?" Lily's frown deepened. "I don't like this."

Marlene moved the window around until they came to a goblet the size of a large cauldron mounted on a pedestal.

"What in Merlin's name is going on?"

"Marly, try and get closer to it, I think I see writing on it." James moved to put his face right up to the window.

"The Goblet of Fire," he said aloud after Marlene had forced the window as close as she could get it. "Why does that sound familiar?"

She frowned, it did sound familiar. Maybe from Binns' class?

"Wait," Lily scrunched her face in concentration, "I think I remember. There's a tournament, we learned about it in the last couple months of History of Magic before we finished Hogwarts."

Doe gasped, "They wouldn't!"

"What?" James' voice sounded sick.

"The Tri-Wizard Tournament, I think they've brought it back!"

"But didn't it kill students almost every time it was held," Marlene protested. "Surely they'd leave it dead and gone."

James shook his head. "Marly, please, please try again to get Sirius to Harry. Everything about this looks wrong."

It killed her, but Marlene knew James was right. Harry needed protection, and if Dumbledore was going to hire an imposter parading around as Moody and allow the Tri-Wizard Tournament back, then Sirius had to be there to make sure someone looked out for Harry.

Marlene willed the window back to Sirius, and to her surprise, she found him in a cave.

"Where in the hell is he now?"

"Pull back," James' had the ghost of a smile on his lips.

Marlene pulled the window back so that they could see where the cave was and James laughed.

"You did it Marly!" He cheered and threw his arms around her. "That cave is one of the ones we'd hide in when we were sneaking around! Sirius is within a mile of Hogwarts!"

But Marlene didn't know if she wanted to believe she was the reason for it, because if Sirius had returned to Scotland because of her, then James and Lily would believe that she could do it again. Marlene didn't know if she could do it all again, only to find out that it wasn't her and to watch it all fall apart - again..

"Let's go back to Harry," Marlene turned away from James. "Sirius is here, let's focus on Harry."

"Mar?" Dorcas put her hand on her shoulder. "You alright?"

Marlene tried to pour everything she wanted to say into a glance before turning back to the window and shifting it to Harry. He was sitting in the Great Hall, at what looked like the Halloween feast.

Doe took her hand. "At least Harry can't compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He's underage."

Marlene tried to calm herself, but she couldn't shake the dread that had built inside her since Peter had returned. Nothing looked alright from where they all sat and watched it play out in silence - silence she both cursed and basked in. She could feel the panic rising and closed her eyes, thinking about when she and Sirius would ride his motorcycle away from everything, ride until they felt free again, and lie on blankets over the forest floor and forget the world, forget the awfulness in the past, forget how broken they both felt, and just be; be happy, be content, be in love.

"I thought there could only be three participants." Lily's voice intruded on Marlene's borrowed moment from the past, trying to relive the peace she'd once had.

"There aren't supposed to be more than three," Dorcas' voice had an undertone of panic in it and grudgingly Marlene opened her eyes to see Dumbledore reading from a scrap of paper, and the entire hall looking at one person.

Harry.

Slowly, looking positively terrified, Harry stood and moved towards the front of the hall and back into a room where three other students waited also. Everything that followed was a train wreck, and Sirius being there didn't seem to be helping anything other than to make James feel better.

Marlene tried to keep the window on Harry as much as possible, but her friends were insistent on checking in on Sirius. Dorcas stopped suggesting the idea when every time she suggested it, Marlene always took them to Remus first. Both Sirius and Remus were living in awful places, looking worse and worse every time they saw them, and it was obvious how unhappy they were.

It was too hard, too depressing, and if it wouldn't have killed James and Lily, she would have left the window and got on the train and not cared what came next. Not even seeing Harry struggle with girls could make her smile. She wanted out. But in death as in life, Marlene knew her friends depended on her, needed her, and so she gritted her teeth and stuck it out.

But it only got worse.

James tried to jump through the window when Harry gave the imposter Moody the Marauders' Map. And then he wouldn't talk to her for days when Marlene refused to follow the imposter around to try and figure out who they really were. But she couldn't do it again, try and have an impact on the living. She'd tried that and it didn't work. She wasn't about to spend this time in purgatory in more agony than she needed to.

Watching how awful the living had it was killing her, watching how awful things were for Sirius and Remus was killing her, and knowing that her godson might not make it through the year was killing her, and the irony was she was already dead.

Somehow Harry lived through to the final task. The window followed him through the maze, and Marlene felt a glimmer of pride when Harry didn't leave the other Hogwarts boy behind and the two took up the trophy together.

And then it became a nightmare.

Before they knew what was happening, the other boy was dead.

"Should we call for him?" Dorcas asked in a quiet voice.

"We don't even know his name. We couldn't call for him if we wanted to." Marlene hugged her arms around her middle as she waited for Harry to fall next.

"Poor chap," James pulled Lily into him.

"Er, hello?" A voice spoke from behind them.

Marlene spun and felt her jaw drop. There stood the boy.

"Sorry, but, what's going on?"

Dorcas, wonderful Dorcas, stood and took on the responsibility of guiding this boy.

"Well, you're dead, and if we get you a train you'll be able to move on to what lies ahead."

"What's that?" he pointed to her window.

"It's a window that lets us see what's happening in the world," Dorcas explained.

"Would...would you mind if I watched my friend? He's in a pretty big spot of trouble, and I'd like to make sure he makes it out; if he doesn't I'll go on ahead with him."

"Of course you can watch with us, we're all rather invested in Harry as well."

"You know Harry?" The boy asked as Dorcas led him to the window.

"We're his family." James put a hand on the boy's shoulder as they watched Peter secure Harry to the headstone in the graveyard.

The boy looked at James with wide eyes.

"What's your name?" Dorcas pulled the boy's attention back to her.

"I'm Cedric Diggory."

"Nice to meet you, Cedric," Marlene gave him a sad smile.

He nodded, too in shock to respond to his new surroundings, which was fine, because they were all too engrossed in watching the horrific scene play out before them to engage Cedric in conversation.

And it was horrific. Lily screamed when Peter cut Harry's hand, while James pounded on the window. Marlene shot the window to Sirius to scream at him but he did nothing, so she flung the window back to Harry. Then she turned away, she couldn't watch, she couldn't do this. She wanted to run away to her parents and her sister and forget that the living ever existed. Dorcas grabbed her hand and squeezed it until it hurt as Marlene waited for Harry to join them; there was no way he'd make it out of this one.

Suddenly, Cedric was pulled through the window and they stared as he came out the other end of Voldemort's wand.

"What's happening?" Marlene scrambled to the window to see if she could breakthrough, but it was still as solid as stone to her.

"I don't know," James pounded on the window and tried to push through. "But if he can get through I've got to!"

"James!" Lily screamed as she was pulled through the window.

"Lily!" James grabbed her and amazingly they both went right through the window.

"What the hell!" Marlene looked at Doe and then back at the window.

"I think it's because they were all killed by Voldemort." Dorcas took Marlene's hand in a death grip, "Don't let go of me, I'm not going back."

Marlene squeezed her hand tightly, feeling the fear in Doe's eyes. "I've got you."

They didn't need to worry, James was the last figure to leave Voldemort's wand. Dorcas and Marlene watched as James and Lily cut the bond of Harry's and Voldemort's wands before rushing Voldemort and allowing Harry a chance to get Cedric's body and the cup and make it back to Hogwarts.

Then the three were pulled back through the window. Marlene pulled Lily to her and held her. "I thought we might've lost you both again."

James pulled them and Dorcas into a group hug and Marlene realized how much she needed them. They were a family, they'd been a family in life and in death, and when James and Lily slipped through the window Marlene thought they'd lost each other forever.

A voice cleared behind them and the four friends remembered Cedric.

"So, er, you said I could move on?" He was keeping his back to the window.

Doe was who disentangled herself first. "All you need to do is summon the train."

He opened his mouth to question her, but then stopped when the whistle of steam sounded and he turned to find his train.

"Do I just get on?" He put his hand on the handle of the coach door.

"Yep, this will take you forward."

He paused and turned back to them. "Will you four be alright? Do you want to come too?"

Marlene chuckled at this darling child. "We'll be fine now."

"Go on lad," James put his hand on his shoulder. "You don't have anything to keep you from the next adventure."

Cedric smiled and climbed aboard his coach. He waved once before turning around and disappearing into the distance.

The events from the graveyard had changed Marlene's outlook in that she wasn't taking her friends for granted; she was focusing on the good around her and not just how awful it was for the living. James and Lily were different too. They seemed emboldened, empowered. She could tell they believed now that they could help Harry, that they could really protect him.

Marlene's optimism began to dissolve though when she'd moved the window to check on Sirius and found him at Grimmauld Place. James tried to reassure her that Sirius would be alright, especially with his parents long gone. She had to admit it, Sirius did seem to be better than she'd expected, even though seeing him there filled her with dread.

But when the Dementors came to attack Harry and his cousin in Little Whinging they all felt the foreboding she'd originally felt.

"I don't understand why they keep him there," Dorcas fumed as they watched a woman usher Harry and Dudley back inside the Dursley home and scold a man who Apparated there about the same time. "Surely he'd be safer just about anywhere else."

"He'd be safer with Sirius," James swore. "Marly, try and get to Sirius. I don't know what that woman is going to do, but I want Sirius to be there."

Marlene felt the angry tears pressing on the back of her eyes. "James, it doesn't work."

"Marly, please," Lily was still on the floor, palms pressed against the window as if she pushed hard enough she might fall back through to her son, currently fighting with his aunt and uncle.

Marlene couldn't watch, it made her throat close and her chest ache. Just to keep Lily from reaching for Harry any longer, Marlene nodded and moved the window to Sirius.

He was in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, storming about it as Remus spoke. She'd never reach him in that state, but then she reminded herself that she wasn't going to reach him anyway. She'd never really done it before, she'd never managed to get to him, or at least not fast enough to make a difference for Harry.

"Hurry, Marly," James coaxed.

She sighed and moved to the window, squeezing Lily's hand as she joined her on the floor.

"Sirius," she whispered, "Harry's in trouble, again." She smiled sadly at her words. They used to joke about being there to bail Harry out of the trouble boys normally get up to, breaking windows with Quaffels or Bludgers and sneaking frogs into the house. They had talked about all the fun they'd get up to with him. The kind of trouble that was a little endearing too. Her smile fell though as Sirius slammed his hand down on the kitchen table.

"He already knows, James."

"Then why in Merlin's name is he still there!?"

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's because if he leaves that cursed house he's going to end up with a Dementor's Kiss." Marlene stood and pulled the window back to Harry.

"But he could go as Padfoot," James argued.

"Not if Peter told Voldemort and the Death Eaters about Padfoot." Dorcas pointed out.

Marlene watched as James looked like all the air had been sucked out of him.

"I'm sorry, James," Marlene started towards him but he shook his head and moved away.

Lily gave Marlene a sad smile and went after her husband.

"Nothing is better here," Marlene turned away from the window to look at Dorcas.

"To be fair," Dorcas motioned Marlene to sit with her in the sitting area they'd willed into existence, "we haven't technically moved on. We're not meant to stay here. We're meant to be on the train and heading away from here, away from the living."

"Am I a coward?" Marlene heard the question fall from her lips unbidden.

It was a question Sirius had once asked her, when he had wanted to run, to leave everything behind and never look back.

"You're here," Dorcas smiled, "I think that speaks a lot to your bravery."

"Being killed in a war doesn't necessarily signify that I'm brave, Doe." She leant over her knees and pushed her palms into her forehead.

"No I mean you're here now. You wanted to leave after Sirius went to Azkaban."

"How do you know that?" Marlene's head shot up.

Doe gave her a sad smile. "The train appeared after we watched Sirius go after Peter. We all thought once you could get up, you'd leave us. That was why Lily got you to move the window back to Harry. We couldn't control it and we agreed it should be on Harry when you left."

Marlene slouched forward over her knees again. "I didn't notice the train," she sighed heavily, "but I did think about leaving. I thought watching how awful his life would be was going to drive me insane."

"But you stayed," Dorcas put a hand on Marlene's shoulder. "And that's why you're not a coward. No one would blame you for going on to your family. No one would blame you for not standing by and watching Sirius suffer, watching Harry fight every single second to stay alive. But you're here, you're supporting James and Lily, you're making it possible for me to see Remus now and again. You've made it so we all have a bit more out of this waiting. You've pushed past your own problems to be there for us, and that's certainly not cowardice."

Marlene was quiet a long time before she finally looked up at Dorcas.

"When should we move on? When is it enough?"

Dorcas looked over at the window, Harry sitting alone in his room as the sun set out his window.

"I guess, when things have either resolved, or they're all here with us anyway."

Marlene nodded, turning to watch her godson as he kicked at his trunk, and part of her wished that it could be the latter, the easier, the faster option. She wanted them all out of this misery. She didn't want them living this way. She didn't want them suffering for things out of their control. She wanted them there with her, moving on to wherever that blasted train went.

But her melancholy was jolted out of her when she saw figures out of Harry's window. She swore as she jumped up and moved the window to the approaching party, Doe right behind her.

"It's alright," Dorcas gave a relieved laugh, "that's Remus!" She pointed to one of the figures not fully in view.

Sure enough, as the figure stepped out of the shadow, Remus' face came into view. Marlene squeezed Dorcas' hand and tried to throw as much comfort into her gaze as she could.

"Moony's there?" James asked as he and Lily approached.

"They've got brooms," Dorcas nodded, "I think they're taking Harry somewhere."

James and Lily came to stand by them in front of the window.

The four watched as Harry and the members of the old Order flew through the night to Grimmauld Place.

"I'm sorry, James," Marlene said quietly as they watched Harry speak with Sirius. "I know you just want to help Harry. I'm sorry I was sarcastic."

James sighed and shoved his hand in his hair. "It's alright, Marlene. I'm sorry I'm pressuring you to reach Sirius. Lily pointed out that it would kill her if she had to just sit and watch me try to function down there, not being able to do anything." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave them a quick squeeze. "It's hard enough watching Harry, but I've at least got Lily to ground me, to help me forget sometimes that it all fell apart, that it's my fault it did."

"It's not your fault. You had every right to trust Peter."

James huffed. "Sirius thought it was Remus. That's why he convinced me to use Peter."

Marlene nodded, "I suspected Remus too, but Sirius and I thought that Peter was just going to try and fade into the background so he wouldn't be on the front lines anymore. Honestly, I thought he'd simply run for it. I never expected him to betray us all."

James chuckled. "Remus thought it was you and Sirius until they got you and your family. He wasn't sure after that, but he couldn't figure out anyone else but Sirius."

"Voldemort won out in the end," she sighed, "He managed to turn us all against each other."

"He didn't though," James shook his head. "Harry's still there. Voldemort didn't win. He isn't winning. Everything he tries, Harry comes through."

"Harry doesn't deserve this," Marlene watched as Arthur led Harry through the Ministry Atrium.

"No, he doesn't. I'm proud of him though. For having everything stripped away, he's handling it all better than I would have, posh brat that I am."

Marlene laughed. "I suppose we can be grateful for that."

Harry's Ministry hearing looked like a joke, but as they didn't snap his wand, it looked as though Dumbledore had managed to make the ministry see some level of sense. And Harry returned safely back to Grimmauld Place.

Harry looking at the picture of the Order brought tears to all their eyes. It looked like maybe it would work out alright this year for Harry, that maybe Harry would be able to be safe within the walls of Hogwarts until the new Order could manage to take out Voldemort. But those hopes were quickly dashed.

Once Harry was back at Hogwarts there was a pink toad in the Defence Against the Dark Arts position and whatever she was saying was causing Harry to get into what looked a great deal like a shouting match with her. His detention with the toad made Marlene move the window, worried Lily might hurt herself with how hard she was banging on the window and screaming at the woman.

"Lils," James pulled her to him, "You've got to calm down."

"Calm! She's torturing him! She's cutting words into his skin! My baby's skin! And you expect me to calm down!"

"Lily, we can't stop her." Dorcas put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Those words seemed to do it, because instead of fighting to get back to the window, Lily broke down and sobbed into James' chest as tears fell down his own cheeks.

While Dorcas might have been right about herself, Lily, and James, it was possible, Marlene thought, that Dorcas was wrong about her.

She'd moved the window to Sirius, and she came to sit next to Sirius as he sat and spoke with Remus at Grimmauld Place.

"Marly," James called out to her, "don't."

She shook her head. "No one touches my godson and gets away with it, James."

She sat and whispered over and over again to Sirius that Harry wasn't safe at Hogwarts. That he needed to go and get him and hang the toad by her toes for a good week at least. She kept telling him again and again and again to act, to run, to get Harry out.

"Marlene," Dorcas whispered. "Maybe you should take a break. We should check on Harry."

Marlene wanted to hurl something at Sirius. Why couldn't he hear her! Why had he been able to reach her that first day here but she couldn't reach him at all?

"Doe's right Marly," James touched her shoulder. "If Sirius has heard you, he'll do something. Let's make sure Harry's managed to stay out of her office."

Reluctantly, Marlene pulled the window back to Harry and then went for Lily, who was sitting on the plush sofa the Potters had willed into existence a ways off from the window and the sitting area, a little space for their own privacy.

"I'm sorry," Marlene whispered when she sat down next to Lily, "I tried."

"Thank you, for trying. I know it's hard for you to do that, to talk to him like he can hear you."

Marlene looked bitterly at her window. "I love Harry too, Lils. I'll keep trying to reach Sirius and get him to Harry even if it kills me."

Lily giggled, "You're already dead, though."

Marlene laughed, the irony of her comment making her silly as she laughed with Lily; it felt so good to laugh.

"We should laugh more," Marlene pulled Lily into a hug. "I think this is the first time I've laughed in ages."

"I guess we haven't had much to laugh about." Lily gave her a sad smile.

"Your husband is a Marauder," Marlene grinned, "Maybe we should make him perform for us, tell old stories."

"That honestly sounds wonderful."

"Says the woman who got after him for all his practical jokes."

Lily rolled her eyes, "I wish I'd seen then how unimportant so much of it was."

"It was good that you didn't then, those four needed someone to tell them to shape up a bit."

"I suppose so," Lily looked over at the window. "Should we go check on my baby?"

"Yeah," Marlene gave her hand a squeeze, "maybe it's a little bit better now."

It started off better, Harry had figured out how to use the Room of Requirement, and he'd pulled a small group of students together to teach them defensive spells. He was rather good at it, and it gave Marlene hope. Maybe he was better prepared than they'd originally thought. Maybe he could manage to finish off Voldemort, though he shouldn't have that burden to begin with. And that hope brought all of them a great deal of comfort.

But then it got worse. So much worse.

Harry was yelling at Dumbledore in the middle of the night, the Weasley kids were called in and they all were through the floo to Grimmauld Place. It took some skipping, but they finally found out that something had attacked Arthur, though how Harry knew was beyond the four of them.

And then they saw Frank and Alice.

"What…?" Dorcas stared at the window, speechless.

"But, but he picked us," Lily stuttered. "Why would they have gone after them too?"

James collapsed down to the window. "I can't believe they didn't just kill them. They left them like this."

Marlene just cried. The Frank and Alice she knew weren't the people sitting in that hospital.

While they were still reeling from knowing the fate of the Longbottom's, their focus was forced to switch, because suddenly Harry was meeting regularly with Snape. Those ended abruptly with Snape throwing everything in his office at Harry. But since they couldn't hear what was being said, they had no idea what was happening, the four friends determined it was probably for the best. The less time Harry spent with Snape the better.

"I feel bad for the Weasley twins," Dorcas sat with Marlene as they watched Harry speak with the twins and their sister. "I remember how hard that last year of school was, and everything we wanted but weren't ready for."

Marlene chuckled, their last year at Hogwarts felt like a lifetime ago.

"They remind me a bit of the Marauders."

"They'll do well then," Dorcas smiled as the twins grinned at Harry, their own brand of mischief written across their faces.

That conversation between Harry and the twins ended up resulting in some Marauder-style chaos, the swamp in the corridor being the tamest thing they witnessed. And it ended with the twins leaving Hogwarts in a magnificent display, and Peeves saluting them as they flew off.

But things quickly went downhill.

"Where in Merlin is he going?" James gripped his hair.

"Hold on," Marlene flung the window to Sirius and began shouting at him. She had no idea where Harry was going but someone had to stop him.

"Try Remus," Dorcas gripped her shoulder when it looked as though Sirius wasn't going to respond.

Marlene shot the window to Remus. But even with her and Dorcas yelling at him, no sound made it through the window.

"Move it to Harry," Lily gripped James' hand in a death grip, "Maybe he was going to Sirius."

Marlene moved the window to Harry, willing the window to move ahead to him reaching his destination. Her heart fell as Harry and his little army descended into the Ministry of Magic.

"Why is he there!?"

Marlene swore and tried to speed the window forward without skipping anything. James gripped her arm when Harry stepped into the hall that held prophecies.

"Marly, stop, that's why he's here."

"They would have told him though, wouldn't they? He wouldn't need to come all this way to hear it." Marlene frowned. "Sirius would have told him. He wouldn't keep something like that from him, maybe not the part where only one can live, but he would have told him there was a prophecy about him, that started this whole thing off."

"Would Dumbledore let him?" Dorcas frowned as they watched the children move carefully through the hall.

Marlene swore.

"What if he's being tricked?" Lily was scanning around the window trying to see into the darkness surrounding Harry and his friends. "What if Voldemort is luring him in here."

"Then we're stuck," James pulled on his hair. "We couldn't reach Sirius or Remus, and those kids don't stand a chance by themselves."

Lily's premonition was right, and before the kids knew what was happening Death Eaters were coming out of the aisles. But James wasn't entirely correct. The kids did better than any of them thought possible for a little group of teenagers against a group of experienced Death Eaters.

But as they started to fall, just as the four friends knew they would eventually, the Order arrived.

"Thank Merlin," Lily folded her head into James' shoulder.

"Get him out of there Pads," James pulled Lily into him.

But Marlene knew he wouldn't. She could see it in his eyes. Sirius might have been fooling the Order, but she saw the haunted look in his eyes, the recklessness in his attacks, the way he threw himself in front of spells aimed at other members. It was as though she was back to watching him in the missions after she died. Sirius wasn't fighting like a man who wanted to outlive the fight.

And then it happened. Bellatrix fired the final blow and Sirius fell backward through an archway to nowhere.

An archway to here.

"Sirius!" Marlene jumped up and spun, desperately looking for any sign of him. "Sirius!"

Then she saw a figure move on the ground in the distance.

"Sirius!" She took off at a dead run, desperate to make it to him, afraid he might not actually be there.

"Sirius!" Finally, she made it to him as he pushed up from the floor, but she crashed into him and knocked him down again.

"Marlene?"

"Merlin, Sirius, I could kill you!" She gripped his shirt in her hands.

"Marlene?" He ran a hand under her chin to guide her face to look into his. "Merlin, Marlene, I never thought I'd see you again."

Then he crushed her into him, searing her with his kiss, and Marlene let the tears run. She cried for the happiness of having him with her again. She cried for the guilt she felt at being happy he was with her and not with their godson. She cried for relief that he wasn't a prisoner any more, that he was finally free.

"I swear Sirius if you leave me I will rip out all your glorious hair and burn it."

"Why in Merlin's name would I leave you." He gripped her tighter. "Losing you almost killed me Marls."

"I know," she wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "I watched."

"Watched?"

Then Marlene remembered Harry.

"Shite, I'll explain later we've got to make sure Remus got Harry out."

The color drained from Sirius' face and he swore.

Marlene pulled him to her window and their waiting friends.

"Is Harry out?" She asked as Sirius pulled her back into him.

Dorcas nodded, "Barely. Voldemort nearly killed him."

"Prongs," Sirius looked at his oldest friend. "Prongs, I'm so sorry..."

"Don't," James pulled him into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry too. None of this went how we hoped it would."

"Red," Sirius smiled at Lily as James released him.

"Oh, Sirius," Lily pulled him into her. "Thank you, thank you for helping my baby."

Sirius snorted, "Right lot of help I was."

"Sirius," Dorcas chided, "You were family to him."

"Doe!" Sirius pulled Dorcas into his hug with Lily. "Is everyone here? Fab and Gid? Benjy?"

"No," Marlene pulled Sirius back to her. "This is the in-between, the place where you get on a train and it takes you to what is really next. The rest have moved on."

Sirius frowned, "Then why are you all here?"

Dorcas beat Marlene to the answer.

"Your screams reached Marlene that night she was killed. Opened a window to the living world." She gestured to the window on the floor, currently showing the Order getting everyone out.

Marlene cut in then, explaining what had happened, what she'd told her family, Doe and the Potters showing up, trying to reach him, watching all the chaos play out in silence before them.

"I can't believe I never heard you," Sirius pulled her closer. "I mean, I hallucinated that you were there or that you were talking to me, but I never heard you trying to tell me to get to Harry."

"Well, now we know not to try it again," James pushed his hand into his hair. "I'm sorry, Marlene."

Marlene shook her head, "I wanted it to work too, James. We all wanted some way to feel like we were making a difference, helping somehow."

"I'm just glad the window is still here." Lily smiled sadly down at Harry. "When I saw Sirius fall, I thought the magic might break away and the window would fade. I'm grateful we can still watch over Harry."

"At least Rems is there," Sirius shook his head as Remus helped Dumbledore move Harry, "I hope he listens to me. He's been avoiding poor Tonks like the black death."

"Tonks?" Doe frowned. "Ted and Andy?"

"Dora," Sirius nodded to the Metamorphogas woman helping Hermione. "Their daughter. She's gone and fallen for the wolf. And Remus completely denies his feelings for her. I told him to pull his head out of his arse."

Marlene watched Doe's face fall. No one else seemed to notice as they laughed.

"It's about time!" James threw his arm over Sirius' shoulders and Marlene used it as an excuse to move to Dorcas.

"It's fine, Marly. I'm fine." Dorcas whispered.

"Ok, well, when you're not fine I'm here alright?"

Dorcas nodded and moved to the window, her eyes fixed on Dora Tonks.

"Hey," Sirius walked up behind her, snaking his arms around her waist. "You know it's terribly unfair you still look like we're twenty and I look like I've been drug through the Black Lake."

"I bet you don't have to," she turned around to link her arms behind his neck; his face really was haggard and his hair was starting to gray. "I mean my dad wanted a red carriage and changed it, we wanted all these seats. I bet you could decide to look like you're twenty again and you would."

"I might give that a try later," he pulled her closer, "Right now I want to be with you."

They picked a spot a way off, like Lily and James had done a bit after they'd first arrived. Marlene laughed when Sirius willed a small sofa, similar to the one they had in their flat, into this new spot.

Their spot.

And they let the world spin while they got lost in the conversations they had always meant to have, lost in the physical presence of each other, lost in them.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered after a moment that they'd been silent. "I'm sorry I didn't make it in time."

Marlene pulled him closer, "It wasn't your fault, none of this was your fault."

Sirius buried his face in her neck. "I've spent years telling myself otherwise. If you'd come with me to James' instead of going to your parents' safe house; if I had just been James' damned secret keeper; I made so many choices that ruined everything Marls."

"Sirius, even if we'd gone to James' and Lily's together my family still would have been killed. And honestly, your plan to be a decoy secret keeper was a good one, because when they did finally kill you, James and Lily and Harry would have been safe."

"You caught on to that, eh?"

Marlene chuckled and ran her nails across his scalp, "I caught on to you wanting to find a way out."

Sirius chuckled against her, a throaty sound that rumbled through her like thunder. Then he raised his head and Marlene felt her breath catch. Sirius was young once again.

"You always did know me best." He smirked.

Marlene pushed forward and kissed him, flooded by the memories of all the hope and happiness they had back then, back before it fell apart.

She didn't know how long they sat there, lost to everything else, when Lily finally called out to them.

"Can you pull yourself away from each other long enough to fill us in on what's going on down there? We've been guessing quite a bit lately."

Sirius chuckled and kissed Marlene once more before standing. "I suppose I've got eternity. Let's go, Marls, before Lily drags us by our ears."

His hand wrapped around hers and Marlene felt like she was breathing again; like she could finally move forward, move on to whatever was next. She'd wait until James and Lily and Dorcas were ready, but when they were, nothing would hold her back now.

"I was waiting to tell you how shameful it was that you got old," James laughed, "looks like you've remedied that now though."

Sirius shoved his arm, "Honestly, it should have been the two of you who got old, not me."

Marlene pulled Dorcas to her as Sirius laughed with the Potters.

"Still fine?"

"Maybe," Doe sighed. "It doesn't matter either way, Marly. Besides, it's been a really long time; I never told him. And he deserves to be happy."

"What about you?"

"I guess I'll see what my options are when we take the train." Doe looked out towards where Cedric's train had disappeared, then she moved closer to the rest of their group.

Before Marlene could try to pull Doe away again, Sirius began giving them an overview of what had happened since they'd all started watching the silent film of the world below them, along with naming the new people, like all the Weasley kids. Currently, the window was showing them Harry navigating his sixth year. Marlene and Sirius had missed a fair amount of it thus far, but from what Lily said, they hadn't missed too much, aside from the very concerning development of Harry knowing one of Snape's old signature spells and using it on the Malfoy boy, who was probably up to something concerning.

"So, Dumbledore didn't know how Voldemort managed to come back?" James asked as they watched Harry walk back to the common room after his detention with Snape.

Sirius shook his head, "Not that he'd share with the Order."

"Harry's been meeting with Dumbledore a lot this year," Lily said. "Maybe he's figured something out since you got here."

"I hope so," Sirius slipped his hand around Marlene's waist. "I'll be honest, the way Dumbledore's going about it this time around is frustrating."

Marlene went to ask him to elaborate but stopped as she watched Harry enter Gryffindor's common room. Apparently, Gryffindor's Quidditch team had won a match, at least the celebration suggested as such.

But that wasn't what had interrupted her train of thought.

No, the window showing Harry kissing Ginny Weasley was what had rendered her speechless.

"About bloody time," Sirius chuckled.

"Was this expected then?" James laughed.

"He's as oblivious as Remus was at that age." Sirius grinned at James, "But Ginny's about as determined as a Niffler in a jewelry shop. She'll be good for him."

Marlene smirked over at Lily, "Apparently, Potters are magnets for red hair."

Lily laughed and wrapped her arms around James' waist.

"Maybe we should give them some privacy? Go check in on someone else?"

"Probably for the best," Marlene chuckled and looked at Dorcas.

Dorcas gave her a sad smile and nodded. "How about Remus?"

Remus wasn't doing nearly as well as Harry was - looking worse than he did after any transformation as he spoke with Arthur and Molly - and Marlene prompted Sirius to give them someone else to move the window to.

"The Weasley twins were always good for a laugh," Sirius sighed and pulled Marlene closer. "Merlin, how have you four done this for sixteen years?"

"Poorly," Dorcas supplied as Marlene moved the window.

Fred and George were in their newly established shop, and the items they saw in the shop pushed the five friends into reminiscing about all the things that they did in school, and could have used from the twins' shop in their school days. It lightened everyone's mood and Marlene was glad to see Dorcas smiling again.

"Shall we see if we can catch Harry unawares?" She teased the Potters.

"There's not nearly as much fun in it when he doesn't know." James chuckled, "But we probably should make sure he's alright."

Marlene moved the window to Harry walking down one of Hogwarts' many corridors. Suddenly he ran into the divination professor and whatever she told him made Harry fume.

"Whatever it is, he's going to Dumbledore for it." Lily bit her lip. "What could she have told him?"

They weren't able to figure anything out, but Harry moved quickly from the office back to Gryffindor Tower. What was most concerning was him pressing a partial vial of Felix's Felics on Ginny, Ron, and Hermione before taking his invisibility cloak with him back to Dumbledore.

"I don't like this," Marlene turned into Sirius' chest. "This isn't going to end well."

"We don't know that," Sirius wrapped her protectively in his arms.

Dorcas agreed with Marlene though. "I can't watch again. I'm going to sit this out."

It didn't take long for Lily to turn into James' embrace as Harry and Dumbledore entered a cave.

Sirius pulled Marlene tight against him, and she tried not to imagine why he'd tense periodically. She was with Dorcas, she couldn't watch her godson fight for his life anymore. The baby she'd promised Lily and James she would love and protect was completely out of her reach, and the guilt was suffocating.

She knew it was bad when both Sirius and James started swearing and yelling at the window. She refused to look. She was waiting for them both to start yelling for Harry and then they'd all get on the train together and leave her damned window behind them forever.

But she felt Sirius' arms relax around her instead, though his heartbeat was frantic.

"They made it out?" She didn't dare look over at her window.

"They're in Hogsmeade now," Sirius kissed the top of her head.

Marlene looked up and saw Lily looking up from James' chest.

"Is it safe to come over now?" Dorcas called out.

"Looks like it Doe," James smiled over at her.

"Or not," Lily's voice trembled as she pointed to the window.

The Dark Mark was above the Astronomy Tower.

"Oh for the love of Merlin!" Marlene groaned.

"How did they get in?" Dorcas came to stand by her as they watched Harry and Dumbledore fly from Hogsmead to the tower.

"Harry's been fighting quite a bit with the Malfoy boy." James pulled Lily closer to him. "Maybe Voldemort had him let them in?"

"A child?" Marlene felt outrage building in her chest. "You think that Voldemort's recruited a child?!"

"Lucius was in charge at the attack in the Department of Mysteries," Sirius rubbed his hand along her arm. "Voldemort probably considers this punishment for his failure."

Marlene felt sick.

Things happened very quickly after that. Before Marlene had fully processed that Draco Malfoy was in fact a Death Eater, Snape killed Dumbledore. But none of them were able to process that as Harry went bolting after Snape, who after toying with him, was attacked by Buckbeak and driven off with the rest of the cowards.

"We didn't try to reach Dumbledore," Dorcas whispered as Ginny led Harry to the hospital wing.

Marlene shook her head, "Honestly, I'm glad we didn't. I might have tried to kill him again."

Sirius chuckled and kissed her temple. "I've missed you."

"I'm with Marlene," Lily sighed, "I don't like how he's handled anything since we died."

They didn't know what was said in the hospital wing, but at the end of it, Remus walked out with Tonks. Marlene glanced over at Dorcas who wore a sad smile. She determined to have the window keep following Harry, they'd find out more about Remus and Tonks eventually.

If going into the cave felt like a bad omen, Marlene felt everything she saw from that point forward was foreboding.

When the Order tried to sneak Harry out by making seven Harry's leave at once, she again felt like something awful was going to happen.

Marlene turned towards Sirius when Voldemort appeared, unable to watch. Lily's cries were torture enough without seeing it as well. Then Sirius tensed and Marlene was sure that she would hear them all calling for Harry, but instead, Sirius groaned.

"When I gave him my bike I didn't necessarily think he'd destroy it."

Marlene glanced up in time to catch James and Lily glaring at Sirius.

The window showed Sirius' bike in chunks, half-buried in lawn and dirt. Ted and Andromeda were carefully lifting Harry from the wreckage, his chest rising and falling.

"How does he keep surviving this?" She pushed her forehead back into Sirius' chest.

"I'm glad he was going to Andy," Sirius ran a tired hand over his face. "She was always good with healing charms."

It wasn't long before Harry was awake and he and Hagrid took their Portkey to the Burrow.

"Which twin is that?" Lily wiped at her eyes as the group gathered around one of the boys, his ear completely gone.

"George," Dorcas answered.

Marlene looked at Doe but Sirius spoke before she could say anything.

"I think you're right, they're more identical than Fab and Gid were, but I think that's George."

"It's George," Dorcas murmured quietly.

Marlene watched, trying very hard to determine which of the twins Dorcas was looking at to no avail. She'd need to try and pull her away at some point and ask when her friend had taken enough of an interest to be able to tell the Weasley twins apart, and why.

"Where's Moody?" James scanned the window. "He was there when they left."

It didn't take long to realize that Alastor Moody had fallen, especially as the group at the burrow raised glasses of firewhiskey together.

"They're falling like flies." Marlene closed her eyes. "Just like last time."

"At least that got sorted," Sirius gestured to Remus and Tonks, arms wrapped around each other.

"Yeah," Dorcas smiled and Marlene was surprised to see less of the sadness in her friend's face. "He needed someone."

Apparently, Dorcas was a better woman than herself, but Marlene had always suspected that. She would have probably gotten on the train and left if Sirius had found someone new. But Dorcas looked genuinely happy for Remus.

Marlene jumped the window forward a bit and stopped it when there was a wedding going on. Harry was disguised as a Weasley, and speaking with Elphias Dodge and Muriel Prewett. It wasn't long after the window had stopped on the wedding that Kingsley's lynx Patronus came running into the party. Suddenly there was chaos and Harry, Ron, and Hermione Apparated away, only to be attacked by Death Eaters again, and Apparate away to Grimmauld Place.

"Why there?" Sirius looked up at the white above them.

"It might be the only safe place they have." Lily fretted.

And it appeared it was. They spent quite a bit of time there and seemed very interested in Regulus' room.

"What in Merlin's name are they doing in there?" Sirius frowned.

"Marly, try getting closer to the paper that Harry's got." Lily knelt down to the window.

She squinted and then spoke aloud. "To the Dark Lord - I know I will be dead long before you read this, but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more. - R.A.B."

Marlene gripped Sirius around the middle as he stared at Lily.

"Maybe he was meant to be in the lion's constellation after all," she looked up at Sirius, waiting for him to react.

"I need a minute," he stepped out of her embrace and moved to their sofa.

Marlene readjusted the window and nodded to her friends before going after Sirius.

She sat down next to him on the couch and placed her hand on his thigh.

"I thought he was a coward. I called him a coward, to his face, more time than I can count."

"Because what you saw was cowardly. He refused to stand up to your parents, he chose friends who supported Voldemort. He joined Voldemort, Sirius. He fired spells at you in more battle than I care to remember both before we were officially on opposite sides of the line and after. You had every right to think him cowardly."

"But he wasn't in the end."

"People can change love," Marlene scooted closer to him, "But changing doesn't negate their past behavior. If Regulus changed, then wonderful, but you had every right to fire shots back at him when he fired at you. If he chose to be better at the end, then great, but when you knew him he was a coward."

Sirius hung his head in his hands and leant over, resting his elbows on his knees. "I'm going to need time to absorb all this."

Marlene moved her fingernails to his back, running them against his t-shirt.

"That's alright, we've got eternity."

She moved her fingers in the old patterns that she'd used when they'd been alive. She wrote in script on his back. At that moment, she went for one of her favorites, _Mine_.

They sat there for a very long time, Marlene's nails drawing on Sirius' back for the majority of it before Sirius chose to speak.

"I never knew what you were writing."

Marlene smirked, "It was all the things I wanted you to do to me."

Sirius chuckled but didn't look up at her.

"You never struck me as a woman to give hints."

"I usually told you outright later," She felt her smile go wicked on her face.

"Hmm, so you were building up to it?"

"In a manner of speaking," She smirked and wrote with a flourish along his shoulder blades.

"What was that one?"

"Are you feeling less put out about Reg?"

He turned to look at her, dropping his hands from his face. "A little, I think you're right, if he changed, then good for him. But I'm here now, with you, and that's what really matters."

"Good," she ran her fingers up and down his back.

"The word, McKinnon."

She wrote it again on his back.

Sirius pushed up and boxed her against the sofa with his body.

Marlene pulled in her breath through her teeth as she smirked up at him.

"Was there something?"

Sirius brought his lips just close enough to tease her.

"I've missed this."

"Me too," Marlene pressed forward but Sirius pulled back.

"The word, McKinnon."

Slowly, she moved her lips closer to his and whispered, "Mine."

She barely caught sight of his smirk before his lips finally landed on hers.

"Forever," He murmured against her as his hands shifted her shirt out of the way to run his hands against her skin.

No one came to collect them this time, and that suited the couple; it wouldn't have been the first time they'd been caught in varying levels of undress, but as magic seemed to work without wands here, Marlene simply willed that her friends wouldn't notice them.

"We should get back," Sirius kissed her. "I can't imagine what Harry's going through has been pleasant to watch."

"You're right," Marlene sighed and pushed herself up. "It's been hard, watching for seventeen years."

"I'm glad you did. I'm glad it was you who I saw first."

"I was so scared it wouldn't work, that you'd not show up here, that you'd not want me with you anymore."

"You were always so dramatic," he kissed her. "I'm here, and I'm not ever letting go of you again. Come on, let's go see how things have gone for Harry."

Dorcas sat alone in her seat in their sitting area, James and Lily over in their own space away from the window.

"What happened?" Sirius looked down at Harry, Ron, and Hermione in a tent together.

"Nothing easily watched," Dorcas sighed. "They found a Horcrux with that toad woman from their fifth year and stole it from under her at the Ministry. Accidentally let Death Eaters into Grimmauld Place. Hermione happened to have a tent with her and they've been camping for a while. Harry ended up in Godric's Hollow, went to their graves," she nodded to where James and Lily sat together. "Then Voldemort's snake tricked Harry, nearly killed him - again. Hermione saved him. Harry and Ron were led to a pond by someone who has Lily's Patronus, where they found the Sword of Gryffindor, and then they destroyed the locket." She glanced over at the window. "Now they're sitting again. But we need a break. I can't believe we've made it this far. We should have left a long time ago."

Marlene sat next to Doe, "I'm sorry, you can go forward. I didn't mean to torture any of us."

Dorcas reached out and took Marlene's hand. "I won't move on without the rest of you. We've been together here nearly eighteen years. But I think we need a break, Lily, James and me. This is too much."

"You got it," Marlene gave her hand a squeeze before moving to the window and Sirius.

"Why don't you check on James and Lily?" She looked critically down at her godson looking at the Marauders Map. "I'm going to experiment with this."

"You sure you'll be alright? You couldn't watch the cave, and honestly, I'm glad you didn't." Sirius pulled her back into him. "It's bound to get worse now."

Marlene smiled up at him. "I've got you again, a lot of my fight is back."

Sirius chuckled, "Alright, but don't kill yourself for this. Dorcas has a point, I think we're getting to the point where we need to move on. We can't do anything for him, and watching is driving us all mad. The dead are meant to be separated from the living."

"I think you're right. Go check on the Potters, I'm going to try and get the window to do what I say."

Sirius kissed her, "I have full faith in you, you're incredibly persuasive when you want to be." He murmured against her.

Marlene watched Sirius move to his brother and then sat next to the window.

"Alright, you, I made you and so you're going to do what I want."

Dorcas' chuckle behind her bolstered Marlene's confidence. She concentrated and the window started moving quickly, emphasizing what was happening to Harry, but almost skimming through everything else. Marlene watched as Harry and his friends went through horrors, but since Harry was making it out of each situation alive, she didn't actually see what was happening. It was leaving a lot of questions, but it was saving her sanity, and Marlene decided that was a worthwhile trade.

"Wotcher, McKinnon," Sirius walked up, James and Lily behind him.

"I think I've managed to figure out how to make this work for us so that we don't need to watch every awful thing."

"What if you miss something happening to Harry?" Dorcas came up behind her.

"I told the window not to. It slows down for me if Harry is in mortal danger, but only enough to see if he gets out alright. I can't tell you anything that's happened to him, but I know he's still alive."

"Where are they now?" Lily watched the window speed through the living world.

"That looks like the Hogs Head," Sirius answered.

The window raced further ahead and then the trio was in Hogwarts and Sirius gripped her arm. "Slow down, I just saw Remus and Tonks."

Reluctantly, Marlene brought the window back to its regular speed to find the entire Order was in the castle.

"You said you could have the window slow down when Harry was in mortal danger." James watched the castle prepare for what Marlene could only assume would be an all-out battle. "Can you have it do that for others too? I'd like to know if anything happens to Remus."

"And Tonks," Sirius added.

"And the Weasley's," Doe pointed to where four of the Weasley boys were gathered together.

"And Hermione," Lily finished.

Marlene concentrated with all her might as she looked at the window.

"Anyone else?" Her head was starting to hurt as she willed the window to follow this new set of instructions.

"That should be enough, love." Sirius' hand moved to massage her neck. "Don't hurt yourself trying to make it happen."

"I think it's done," she leant into him and closed her eyes for a moment. "Shall I speed it up so we don't need to watch whatever awfulness is coming?"

"Please," Lily nodded and Marlene sighed in relief as she sped them forward.

The window slowed and then came to an abrupt stop as a wall exploded and the five watched helplessly as one of the Weasley twins last lifeless on the floor.

"Fred!" Dorcas whispered.

Marlene jumped up. How Doe knew it was Fred didn't matter as much as taking care of Molly's boy the way Molly had been looking after Harry for them.

"Fred Weasley!" She yelled.

"Fred!" Sirius moved next to her. "Fred it's Sirius!"

"Sirius?"

"Come this way, Fred!"

And then they saw him, stumbling his way to where they stood.

"Sirius? What happened? What's going on?"

"We're dead, mate," Sirius put his hand on Fred's shoulder.

"But, no, but, George, he, I…"

"Fred," Marlene tried to soothe him, "Fred it's going to be alright. Come sit down and we can explain."

Fred looked wildly around him and Sirius took a firm grasp of his arm. "Let's calm you down, then we can talk about what's next."

"Let me," Dorcas gently took Fred's other arm.

Sirius still held firm as they walked Fred over to the sitting area a little bit away from the window. Dorcas willed Fred a chair next to hers and sat him down in it.

"I'll explain it to him," she promised, "You two go make sure James and Lily aren't alone if the worst happens."

Sirius looked torn for a moment but Marlene knew where they needed to be.

"Fred, this is Dorcas Meadows, a friend of Sirius and Remus. Sirius will be just there if you need him." She motioned to where James and Lily still watched.

Fred still looked in shock, but Marlene knew Dorcas could handle it, and she led Sirius back to the window.

Just in time to see it slowing again.

"No," She whispered as it stopped over Remus, and he fell.

"Remus!" James yelled, and the four of them spun for signs of him.

"Remus!" Sirius called out, "Moony!"

"James? Sirius?" Remus' voice echoed.

"We're here too, Remus!" Lily called.

And finally, they saw him.

James bolted, running straight for Remus, Sirius right behind him.

Marlene gripped Lily's hand as the three friends collided and clung to each other.

"That has been a long time coming," Lily wiped away a tear.

"Yes, it has." Marlene smiled at how relieved they all looked to finally be reunited.

After a few moments, the boys made it back to them and Marlene gladly joined in the hug Remus pulled her and Lily into.

"Merlin, you have no idea how good it feels to see the two of you again."

Marlene went to respond in kind when she noticed the window slowing again.

"Shite." She breathed as she turned away from Remus in time to watch Bellatrix strike down Tonks.

"Rems call Dora!" Sirius was looking at the window.

"What?" Remus looked lost.

Sirius shoved him aside. "Tonks! Tonks! It's Sirius! Remus is here! Tonks!"

Remus finally noticed the window on the floor showing this wife's lifeless body.

"Dora!"

"Remus!" Tonks came running at him and jumped into his arms.

Marlene glanced over at Dorcas, but she was still focused on Fred Weasley, one hand rubbing up and down his back while the other still held his arm. She was speaking quietly, and while Fred still looked shocked, he didn't look like a flight risk anymore.

"What's going on?" Tonks looked around.

"We've died, dearest cousin." Sirius teased.

Tonk's eyes went wide and she gripped Remus' arm.

"Teddy! Remus, what is he going to do without us?"

Remus pulled her into him, "Don't worry, Dora, your mum is with him, and they're safe. Our son will be safe."

"Son?" James took his arm and looked like he could burst. "Son?"

Remus managed to look bashful but nodded, "Our son."

"We can make sure he's alright," Marlene looked down at the speeding images of the battle raging on at the castle and its grounds before making eye contact with Lily. "I think it'll pull us back if anything happens."

"I trust you, Marly," Lily squeezed her hand. "Your window hasn't failed us yet."

"Yeah, just driven us mad," Marlene chuckled grimly as she willed the window to show them Teddy.

Remus and Tonks' son slept soundly in his crib, Andromeda reading in a chair next to his crib.

"I can't hear anything," Tonks frowned.

"We can't hear anything; we can only see what's happening." Marlene smiled at the little baby. He looked a great deal like Remus, but his facial structure showed Tonks' influence rather prominently.

"I used to do this with Harry, Lily," Marlene turned to her. "When things were bad down there, before Voldemort got to you, I would move the window and watch Harry being little and adorable. Helped me stay sane."

Lily hugged her and went to respond, but then she was pulled out of Marlene's arms and through the window, along with James, Remus, and…

"Sirius!" Marlene jumped for him but even as he reached for her, he slipped through to the living world.

Marlene panicked and flung the window from Teddy to Harry, and to her relief she found everyone gathered around him.

That boy was going to kill her.

"Did you find them?" Dorcas was at her side, gripping her hand as Fred stood behind her.

"Yes," Marlene hugged Dorcas tight and tried to let the panic ease out of her. "But Harry has got to quit doing that!"

"They'll come back, right?" Tonks' voice was small and Marlene pulled her into the hug that she was giving Dorcas.

"They did last time." Doe nodded.

And as if Doe's response was the foreshadowing, the four friends were sliding back through the window to them.

"He'll be here soon," Sirius pulled Marlene into him. "He's going to let Voldemort have him."

"No!" Fred pushed against the window. "That's what we're all fighting to keep from happening!"

"It's alright, Fred," James held Lily against him. "Harry knows what he's doing."

"Why?" Marlene spoke quietly to Sirius.

"I've no idea, but he's made up his mind. He's going to be here with us and then we're going to get on that train Marls and leave your damned window behind us forever."

Marlene leant into Sirius and sighed as she watched Harry walk through the forest to Voldemort. She'd hidden for so much of the horrors that Harry had lived through, Marlene was determined to watch for him this time, just as she had at the beginning.

Voldemort's wand leveled at Harry, and she watched as Harry closed his eyes and the curse hit him square in the chest.

He fell hard against the ground.

"Harry!" Lily called out, not the panicked yelling that they'd all had for everyone else that was in their company. No, Lily called for her son like he'd been out playing in the garden and it was time to come in for lunch.

"Son!" James called in a similar fashion. "Harry, we're here. Let's go, son."

They waited, and nothing happened.

"Harry!" Sirius' voice held more urgency. "Mate, come this way!"

"Harry!" Remus' tone carried his worry as he pulled Tonks into him.

Marlene let go of Sirius and moved to the window, getting as close as she could as Narcissa Malfoy checked to ensure that Harry was dead.

She saw his lips move.

"He's not dead!" She gasped.

"But, but, but we just watched Voldemort kill him!" Fred objected.

"He's not dead!" She turned to look at Lily and James. "He's not dead!" She was laughing now, tears welling in her eyes. "Merlin, you two have made an invincible kid! He's not dead!"

"But that would mean," Dorcas looked as Hagrid picked up Harry's body, "Could Harry have been a Horcrux?"

"I have no idea," Marlene laughed as she threw herself into Sirius' arms. "But he's not dead!"

"Yes, love," Sirius laughed as he wiped at the tears that had escaped, "You've established that."

Marlene laughed and turned to the window as it picked up speed again, racing so quickly that none of them had to be exposed to the horrors unfolding.

"Slow it down, love," Sirius pulled her flush against him, and reluctantly, Marlene braced herself and slowed the window enough that they could see more of what was happening.

It was carnage, and Marlene had lost sight of Harry. She fought the panic and willed the window to show him to her, and it jumped forward to Harry throwing off the invisibility cloak in the Great Hall and facing off with Voldemort once more.

"This is it, isn't it?" Fred looked down at the window.

Dorcas took his arm and nodded, "I think so."

Her godson fired at the same time as Voldemort and to their great astonishment, Voldemort's wand shot out of his hands and into Harry's, sending its curse back at its caster.

And Voldemort fell.

"Well, I'll be damned," James smiled, "My boy did it."

The Death Eaters started dispersing just as soon as the reality sunk in that their leader had fallen. And Marlene sighed as the living began embracing each other.

"I think it's time," she smiled up at Sirius.

He leant down and kissed her, slow and sweet, like they had eternity. "Me too."

"What do you say, James? Lily?" Sirius turned to them. "Shall we see what next great adventure awaits us?"

James looked down at Lily, "Are you ready?"

Lily nodded, "He's going to be fine now. Let's go see where that train goes."

"Rems?" James asked.

"I don't know what train you're talking about, but Dora and I are ready to move on. Teddy will be fine now. Harry and Andromeda will see to it."

Tonks gave a sad smile, "I think I'd go mad watching Teddy grow and not being able to be there."

"Doe?" Marlene smiled.

"I'm coming," she nodded.

"Where are we going?" Fred's eyes had gone wide and he held a little tighter to Dorcas' arm.

"Who knows?" Sirius laughed.

"Really, Padfoot, give the poor kid a break." Remus chuckled.

"Oh, do you know where we're going Moony?"

Fred's mouth dropped. "Wait… Padfoot? Moony?" He looked at James, "Prongs? Or Wormtail?"

"Prongs," James ruffled his hair.

Marlene chuckled, "You have the esteemed honor of being in the presence of the Marauders, Fred."

"Holy shite," his mouth dropped even further open.

"You look like a fish," Doe laughed. "Come on, I'm sure there will be time for stories on the train."

Marlene closed her eyes, willing the train to appear, and smiled when she heard the sound of steam erupt behind her.

"Shall we?"

They climbed up into their carriage all one large compartment, and the couples all took their seats.

"You forgot to close the window," Lily frowned.

Marlene turned and looked at her window, her view into the living world. It had seemed so important then, but sitting with Sirius' arms wrapped around her, and knowing that Harry was finally safe and free to live his life, it wasn't what she needed anymore.

She willed the window to close and watched it disappear back into the floor.

The train lurched forward and gained speed, the blinding white light approaching them faster and faster.

"Marls," Sirius whispered against her ear. Marlene smiled and turned her face up, capturing his lips with hers as the train pushed forward into the light and disappeared.


End file.
